Five finalists named in police chief search

Created on Friday, 08 November 2013 01:03 | Written by Doug Burkhardt |

The identity of the city of Hillsboros next police chief is coming a bit more into focus.

On Nov. 1, city officials released the names of five finalists for the position, which were chosen from an initial field of 62.

The candidates are from all over the nation, including one from as far away as Florida. Two of the finalists, however, come from the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area.

City leaders have known for a few weeks who the five were, but waited until last week to make the names public.

The candidates were given time to notify their communities before the city released their names to the media, said Patrick Preston, Hillsboros public affairs manager.

The five candidates are:

n Lee Dobrowolski

Dobrowolski is currently deputy chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department. He joined the department in 1991 and served in a variety of roles, including working as a detective and handling labor relations and special projects.

After beginning as a patrol officer, Dobrowolski was promoted to the rank of sergeant and later asked to start a new community intelligence unit that would serve as liaison to the city administration as well as the community.

He also served as executive officer to the police chief. Dobrowolski was appointed to be the deputy police chief, his current rank, in February 2010. As part of his duties, Dobrowolski was assigned to the citys Administration Bureau, where he managed a budget in excess of $60 million. He is currently assigned to the Patrol Bureau, where he supervises more than 160 police officers.

? John Feeney

Feeney is commanding officer of the Crime Information Services Division for the San Francisco Police Department. While working for the SFPD over the past 27 years, Feeney has taken on a wide variety of assignments.

As captain, he served as the commanding officer for the Park Police District; night supervising captain of the Special Operations Division; and as liaison to the Department of Emergency Management.

Feeney started his career as a police officer, became a sergeant and then served as a lieutenant for 10 years in the office of the chief of police, coordinating the activities of the office and managing several executive projects. Inspired by a vision to enhance the partnership between the SFPD and the community, Feeney was responsible for launching the San Francisco Police Foundation.

n David Kirby

Kirby is currently undersheriff for the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office, having served in that role since 2007. He began his law enforcement career with the Oregon State Police. In 1993, he joined the Washington County Sheriffs Office and held positions in patrol deputy and senior patrol deputy before serving as a detective, sergeant, detective sergeant, lieutenant and commander.

Kirby has supervised several interagency teams, including narcotics, gangs, identity theft and Internet child exploitation, and currently oversees the jail, community corrections and the Civil Division (courthouse operations).

Kirby also is the current chairman of the Oregon City School Districts budget committee.

n Brian Martinek

Martinek currently serves as executive director for the Northwest Regional Re-Entry Center, a position he has served in since 2010. Martineks law enforcement career started in 1989 when he joined the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office as a deputy.

Over his 12-year career with the MCSO, he has served as a sergeant, lieutenant, public information officer and captain. Martinek became deputy chief of operations for the Vancouver Police Department in 2001, and he was appointed police chief in 2002. After four years as Vancouvers chief, he took a position as an assistant police chief for the Portland Police Bureau.

Martinek has also served as a public safety consultant for the Washington County Sheriffs Office, and currently teaches at Concordia University in the schools Homeland Security Program.

n Donn Peterson

Peterson is a major with the Broward County Sheriffs Office in Florida. He began in Dania Beach, Fla., as a civilian service aide, a patrol deputy and then as a detective. Petersen moved on to become a patrol sergeant for the city of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., and headed the districts Criminal Investigations Unit. In 2002, Peterson was promoted to lieutenant and served as executive officer to the district commander.

Two years later, he was promoted to captain and given command of the South Broward District, where he was the chief of police for two communities. In 2007, Peterson returned to Dania Beach to become the district commander, a role he held until he was promoted to major in January. Peterson has also commanded the Broward Sheriffs Office SWAT Team.

With the names of the five just released Friday, there has so far been little response from those within the Hillsboro Police Department.

Ive not heard any comments yet about the candidates around the department, and I dont know any of the guys, said Lt. Mike Rouches, spokesman for the Hillsboro Police Department. As we move forward, the rank and file and the whole department will have a chance to meet these guys and ask questions.

However, Rouches said he was glad to know who the five finalists are.

I think its safe to say we are all anxious to meet the candidates, he said.

Preston added it could still be several months before the city names its new police chief.

City Manager Michael Browns goal remains to have a highly qualified police chief in place by early 2014, but he has stressed that the city of Hillsboro will take as much time as is needed to find the right candidate, Preston said.